Lightning-rod.



J. P. GOETZ.

LIGHTNING ROD.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.6, 1908.

Patented 00's. 26, 1909.

JULIUS F. GOETZ, F HARTFORD, WISGQNSIN.

LrGHrnINe-non.

Specification of y.llpplieation led .April G, 1908. Serial No; 425,353.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that l, Jennie F. Gionrz, residing in Hartforch in the county of l.lashington and State of fWisconsin, have in vented newI and useful Improvements in Lightning-Rods, of which the following is a description,A reference being had toA the. accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification. l c My invention has relution to improvements in lightning rods. o l

One of the primary objects is to provide a construction of such character that the.`

lightning rod will be capable of movement with any movement upwardly of the house due to frost in the ground during cold weather, or of any movement of the `house downwardly, which takes place in the spring of the year, when the frost leaves the ground.

A further object resides in the improved construction whereby the threaded joint loetween the tubular sections of the rod is made up of sections of metal other than copper, but yet a continuous copper contact is pre-. served throughout the length of the rod.

lilith the above primary, and other ineidental, objects in view, the invent-ion consists of the devices und parts, or their equivalents, as hereinafter set forth.

ln the accompanying drawing, Figure l is an' elevation of my improved lightning rod showingr they same ap}'1lied to the side of a. house; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a fragment of the upper portion of the rod; Fig. -3 is a longitudinal sectional view through. a fragment of the lower portion of the rod; and Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring' to the drawing, the vnumeral 5 indicates the side of a house to which the lightning rod is applied, and G the foundation of the house. The lightning rod is composed of a base section 7 of tubular form and having a conical lower end adapted to be driven into the ground 8. 'lhis Section is composed ofcopper, or other desirable material which is a `rood conductor of ele-'- tricity. illithin the upper portion of this` tube section7 and located slightly below the upper end of said tube section and secured therein by means of a transverse rivet l) is a sleeve 107 composed preferably of brass, or of some material cheapervthan the copper or other material of which the base section is composed, and also not necessarily a con- Leuersratent. Patented Get. 26, 1909.

ductor of electricity. The upper end'of sleeve 10 is threaded iuteriorly, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, and adapted to engage these threads is the lower reduced threaded end llof a plugl, also of-brass or other material cheaper than the' copper ormaterial of base tube 7. The shoulder down to its ful extent, seats itself against the' upper end of the sleeve 10. The upper y end of the plug enters for a limited distance the lower end of another tube section 14, 'composed of copper7 or other desirable matel-iai which is a good conductor of electricity. The upper end of the plug is firmly held within said tube Section by means of a 'rivet 15. lhe lower end of tube section 14 passes into the upper end of base section 7, and surrounds the upper enlarged portion of the plug 12, its lower end being also seated against the upper end of sleeve 10.

lhe next tube section of the series is indi ated by the numeral 16, and is likewise composed of copper, or other desirable material which ie a good conductor of electrcity. The lower end of this Section extends down and surrounds the upper end of section 1e for such limited distance that only a ortion of the tube section 14. is Surroundei by said section lo. The said section lo held to the house by means of clamps, each clamp comprising an outer circular portion 17 surrounding the tube section end having divergent legs 1S extending inwardly and provided with outwardly turned feet secured to the house. The outer circuler portions of the clamps are held to the tube end oi the tube section 16 is fitted e sleeve zo located slightly below the upper end of said tube, the said sleeve boing; of brass or other desirable material. This sleeve is similar to the lower sleeve 10, being provided with interior threads, with which the lower reduced threaded end 2l of a plu is adapted to engage. The sleeve is secure in place by means of a rivet 2.2. The plug is turned into the sleeve until the shouldered portion of the plug engages the upper end of said sleeve. rl`he upper enlarged portion lll of the plug 'is surroui'ided by a tube 24, composed of copper, or other materiel which is u goed conductor of electricity. Tube 211, however, is much shorter than the corre spmulingl lower tube '14, and its up er end is only adapted to extend a slight istunce 13 of this pluf, when said plug is turned into the lower end of another upper tube section 25, which tube section is likewise composed of copper, or other material which is a good conductor of electricity. Tube 24 is held within tube section 25 by means of a rivet 26. 'Ihe upper tube section 25 is also connected to the side of the house by means of clamps similar to the clamps for tube section 1G, that is each consists of a circular outer portion 27 surrounding the tube, and the inwardly extending legs 28 secured to the side of the house. It is obvious that the lightningl rod may be built u in this manner by sections to any desire height,

1n accordance with requirements.

By the arrangement described, it will be seen that it' there is any movement of the house upwardly in winter when frost is in the ground.J the sections above the base section, by reason ot' the connections afforded by the clamps, will move upwardly with the house; and vice versa, when there is a down movement or settling of the house, said sections above the base sections will correspondingly move downwardly, there being sufficient play left between the lower end of the section 16 and the'upper of the base section 7 to permit of a movement downwardly to a considerable extent.

Another important feature of my invention resides in the construction whereby a threaded joint between the tubular sections is maintained, without breaking or sacrifieing the continuity of the metallic electrical contact between the sect-ions, and which seetions are formed of copper as the preferable current conducting metal. It the copper sections were threaded directly together, it is obvious that considerable expense would be entailed owing to the fact that copper is an expensive metal, and in the cutting ot' threads therein a considerable amount of the metal is necessarily wasted. By my improved construction, however, I am enabled to use copper, or any other material which conductor of electricity, fanother tube see-i tion also composed 'of a material which is a good conductor of electricity having a direct electrical connection with the first mentioned tube, a threaded bolt-provided with a sleeve which is a good conductor of electricity, :l threaded sleeve-connected to one of the tube sections and engaged by the threaded bolt, both tube sections overlapping the sleeve of the threaded bolt, and means for connecting the sections to the side of a building.

2. A lightning rod comprising a tube section composed of a material which is a good conductor of electricity, another tube sec tion also composed of amaterial which is a good conductor of electricity, a threaded shouldered'bolt, a sleeve :formed of a inaterial which is a good conductor surrounding a portion of said bolt and riveted thereto, a threaded sleeve riveted to the other tube section and positioned within the tube at a distance from the end thereof and engaged by the threaded bolt, both tube sections overlapping the sleeve of the threaded bolt, and means for connecting the sections to the side of a building.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS F. GOETZ.

Witnesses:

A. L. MonsELL, l-ANNA F. SCHMID'rAUnn. 

